Seniors' Trial 2015-2016

SBU Seniors' Trial – Supplementary Conditions of Contest

Overview

The SBU Seniors' Trial relates to the selection of the Scotland team for the 2016 Home International Series Teltscher Trophy and 2016 European Team Championships.

The trial will consist of one long weekend: 18-20 March 2016.

The leading team from the trial will be selected for the Teltscher Trophy on 20-22 May 2016 in Scotland.

The winning team will also be invited to represent Scotland in the Senior Series of the 2016 European Team Championships.

Authority

This Conditions of Contest is supplementary to the General Conditions of Contest for the Scottish National League and SBU Trials and is established by the Selection Committee ("Committee") of the Scottish Bridge Union.

Entry

Entries from teams of four to six players should be sent to the Secretary of the Committee, Ms Anne Perkins, email . The closing date for entries is 5 December 2015. All entries will be acknowledged.

The Committee reserves the right to accept late entries at its absolute discretion.

The entry fee for the trial is £180 per team. The Secretary can provide the SBU bank details to facilitate electronic transfers.

If the final number of entries is too few to run any stage of the trial effectively, the Committee reserves the right to change the format.

.Players in the trial must attain the age of 60 before or during the calendar year 2016, that is be born in or before 1956.

Dates

The trial will be held on 18-20 March 2016, probably at the New Melville Bridge Club, Edinburgh.

Event format

The format is dependent on the number of teams entering. The likely formats are:

Four teams: triple round-robin of 20-board matches

Five or six teams: double round-robin of 20-board matches

Seven or eight teams: double round-robin of 12-board matches

Matches will be scored in IMP and converted to VP.

There will be no seating rights.

Screens will be used if available.

For the purposes of automatic selection, the weekend, including Friday if required, counts as a single stage.

Systems and conventions

The trial will be run as a Category 2 SBU competition.

The SBU regulation prohibiting the psyching of strong, artificial, forcing opening bids does not apply to this event.

There is a limit of four system cards per team.

Playing requirements

To be automatically eligible for selection a player must be in a partnership that has played at least 50% of the boards. In the event of a player being in multiple partnerships then the player must choose a preferred partnership.

Teltscher Trophy selection

The Committee will automatically select all qualifying pairs from the winning team.

If required, the Committee shall select pair(s) to fill the remaining places from amongst players who have competed in the trial, taking into account performance in the trial and results in recent national and international events.

European Team Championships selection

The winning team will be invited to represent Scotland in the Senior Series of the 2016 European Team Championships if it has at least two qualifying pairs. Any non-qualifying pairs will not be automatically selected.

If only two teams enter and the winning team does not have two qualifying pairs or declines selection, then the Committee will invite the other team providing it has at least two qualifying pairs; if it does not qualify or declines, then the Committee will select a team from participating pairs.

If only three teams enter and the winning team does not have two qualifying pairs or declines selection, then the Committee will invite the second-placed team providing it has at least two qualifying pairs; if it does not qualify or declines, then the Committee will select a team from participating pairs.

When more than three teams enter, if the winning team does not have two qualifying pairs or declines selection, then the Committee will invite the highest placed interested team that has at least two qualifying pairs, with the caveat that they must have finished in the top half of the trial.

In the event that no interested team finishes in the top half, then at least one team with two qualifying pairs who competed will be invited to a playoff. At its discretion the Committee may introduce new teams comprising of qualifying pairs into the playoff.

If required, the Committee will select a third pair from those players (not necessarily pairs) who competed in the trial taking into account performance in the trial and results in recent national and international events.

The selected team will be expected to participate in an appropriate program of preparation prior to the championships. Failure to comply with this requirement without reasonable cause may jeopardise selection to represent Scotland in future years.

Communications

Any notices to be given to, or communications for, the Committee should be emailed to the Secretary of the Committee.